"I've
never heard the same song twice. I've heard Greek blues music, followed
by garage rock and avant-garde jazz."

The
station - 91.1 FM (or streaming at www.wfmu.org) - is not really a secret,
however. It's been named the No. 1 station in the country four years in
a row by Rolling Stone magazine and boasts an estimated weekly listenership
of 250,000.

There
are no commercials and no sponsorship announcements.

"It's
kinda like a hype-free zone, which you don't find anymore," says station
manager Ken Freedman. "At WFMU, there's nothing that even resembles an
advertisement."

Funding
comes from fans, some of whom are big names in the biz.

Among
those who have done fund-raising concerts are Sonic Youth, They Might
Be Giants and punk legend Richard Hell. Photographers Cindy Sherman and
William Wegman have contributed their work for benefit auctions, and Eric
Bogosian, Mario Cuomo and the Talking Heads have all done in-studio appearances.

The
station does an annual marathon to kick up bucks. One year, Freedman removed
one article of clothing for every $250 donation until he was left naked
and went dancing on the station's roof.

"The
reason why I'm still involved with the station is because I believe in
radio as an art form," says volunteer deejay Chris Tsakis, who works as
a broadcast engineer for National Public Radio.

"I
think there's a real deep honesty about the station. Deejays don't have
to say or play anything they don't believe in."

WFMU,
which began in 1958 as the student station for now-bankrupt Upsala College,
is owned by Auricle Communications, a nonprofit group made up of current
and former WFMU staff members and fans. It's the oldest free-form station
in the United States.

The
station's music goes in every direction: homemade tapes, avant-garde jazz,
punk, soul, Jewish music. There are also interviews with various luminaries.
Giuliani has appeared many times.

More
than anything, its spirit is what makes the station great.

"As
long as it comes from the heart, everyone has a place here," says Andy
Waltzer, a deejay for 12 years. "It's just totally pure and unselfish
and good."

Glen Jones --
Broadcast HistoryLast week disc
jockey Glen Jones of radio station WFMU broke the Guinness world record
for the longest continous broadcast by an individual. Jones began on the
Friday May 25th, breaking the record on Memorial Day. He then stayed on
the air until 1:00 pm the following day. David Molpus talks to the tired
but proud new record holder about his accomplishment. (4:55)
- June 3, 2001CLICK
HERE TO LISTEN TO THIS STORY IN REALAUDIORadio World Record
Reporter Lars Hoel checks in on disc jockey Glen Jones of New York public
radio station WFMU, as he tries to break the Guinness world record for
longest continual broadcast. The current record is 73 hours and 33 minutes.
Jones began his quest at 9am Friday and must keep going past 10:33am Monday
morning in order to set the new record. (6:00) - May
27 , 2001CLICK
HERE TO LISTEN TO THIS STORY IN REALAUDIOBACK
TO TOP

DJ ecstatic after setting broadcasting record

05/30/01

By Mike Principe
Journal Staff Writer

What disc jockey Glen Jones needs now is a good night's sleep.

A day after setting the record for the longest continuous radio broadcast,
the DJ for Jersey City-based WFMU reached another milestone yesterday
by staying on the air for more than 100 hours.

"I will never, ever be able to top this. You can't top it," Jones said
last night in a telephone interview from station manager Ken Freedman's
Hoboken home. "I will never have another radio experience like this, ever."

Jones took to the airwaves Friday at 9 a.m., and at 10:34 a.m. Monday
broke the Guinness Book of World Records mark of 73 hours 33 minutes held
by British DJ Greg Daines. That behind him, Jones decided to go for 100,
ending yesterday at 1 p.m. with "Innocent When You Dream" by Tom Waits.

When Jones finally wrapped up his marathon, he said he felt so disoriented
that he "didn't even know why I was here."

"I remember them taking me upstairs to put me asleep," he said of his
WFMU colleagues. "I asked them to recall everything. Surprisingly enough,
after that, I did realize why I was here. But once I realized what I was
doing, I didn't even have time to celebrate. I'm still getting myself
together."

The 39-year-old Kearny-born DJ's broadcast was bound by several rules
set by Guinness: No song could be shorter than 2 minutes or longer than
6, and invited guests could not speak for more than a minute without him
chiming in. He was allowed a 15-minute break every eight hours.

"Breaking the Guinness record isn't some casual thing you just show
up and do. There are very explicit rules," Freedman said.

To keep busy during his 100 hours 40 seconds on the air, Jones read
more than 1,000 e-mails, took phone calls and conducted interviews. The
station provided an exercise bike to help him fight sleepiness.

Jones seemed hypnotized during his final hours of broadcast. He operated
the controls and announced songs, and during one break had to reminded
what he was doing, according to Freedman. Fans around the world phoned
him day and night, and sometimes he switched to a talk radio format and
aired the calls around 2 a.m.

"I can't believe the turnout," Freedman said. "It was incredible and
we were all completely shocked."

As supporters filed into the studio to help countdown the final seconds,
Jones said he never had so much fun on the radio.

"I just feel heart warmed with all of the support that I have gotten
from people who got caught up in the whole affair," Jones said yesterday.
"I just can't believe it."

"The Glen Jones Radio Programme" regularly broadcasts Sundays from noon
to 3 p.m. on WFMU-91.1 FM, and can be heard on the Internet at www.wfmu.org.
Jones, who has 15 years under his belt at WFMU, works as a radio producer
for Court TV during the week.

According to Freedman, the White House had been following Jones' feat
since the beginning, and President Bush is expected to call Jones on his
Sunday show.

New Jersey DJ Breaks
World Record; Finally Shuts Up
Jersey City's WFMU radio station is super hip and ultra-cool, and now
it is breaking world records. WFMU DJ Glenn Jones, a weekly host on the
station and also a Court TV producer, has officially broken the record
for the longest continual radio broadcast. As of 1 PM EST today when Jones
signed off for good, he had been on the air for 100 hours and 42 seconds,
consecutively. By the way, the previous world record was held by U.K.
DJ Greg Daines, who clocked in at 73 hours and 33 minutes. Jones surpassed
that record on Monday morning. He had previously said he would like to
hit the 100-hour mark, and then make a decision on whether to continue
or not. Guess he opted for not. Jones has been constantly monitored throughout
his mission by outside observers to ensure he is following the extensive
rules, such as: unlike Hands on a Hard Body, Jones was afforded
a 15-minute break every eight hours. Songs must run between two and six
minutes, ruling out epics like Don McLean's "American Pie," which would
allow him to press play and then run off for like two years. Along the
way, Jones interviewed folks like Gene Simmons, and also spoke with The
Today Show's Katie Couric. In terms of a playlist, well, Jones has
been playing pretty much everything under the sun. I suppose if I was
on the air for five days, I would play pretty much anything as well. Maybe
even Pearl Jam. We would very much like to congratulate Jones for his
impressive speaking abilities. Check out the WFMU
website for more info on breaking records and all that. Oh, and Jones
ended his 100-plus hour set with Tom Waits's ''Innocent When You Dream.''

New
Jersey Radio DJ Glen Jones Completes 100 hour, 42 Second Broadcast,
Shatters Guinness World Record

Glen
Jones, a DJ on critically acclaimed public radio station WFMU (91.1
FM), brought honor upon his colleagues and upon his country by shattering
the Guinness World Record for Marathon DJ Broadcast on Monday, May
28 at 10:34 a.m., thus becoming the first American to hold the title.
But that was not enough. After sweeping past the existing 73 hour
and 33 second radio record held by Greg Daines of the U.K., Jones
continued his Herculean broadcast until shortly after 1 p.m. today,
racking up an astounding 100 hours and 42 seconds of airtime. Finally
hanging up his headphones, Jones proclaimed himself to be, "the
best there is, the best there ever was and the best there ever will
be! He then signed off with Tom Waits' "Innocent When You Dream,"
a fitting finale for "the stunt heard around the world" (www.wfmu.org/jones/lastman.html
)

Jones, the 39-year-old host of "The Glen Jones Radio Programme,"
(Sundays, Noon-3:00 p.m.) launched his sleepless four and a half
day odyssey at 9:00 a.m. on Friday with "The Impossible Dream" (The
Quest). He then proceeded to camp out in the WFMU studios and obeyed
a strict set of Guinness regulations, closely documented by independent
observers. Those rules included one fifteen minute break every eight
hours, mandatory operation of all equipment, a one minute restriction
on any commentary by guests, and a 2-6 minute limit on song lengths.
From topical titles such as "Rock Around The Clock" to rock, reggae,
rap, rhythm and show tunes, Jones logged in an eclectic array of
1000 songs, making up the playlist as he went along.

The riveting radio performance had listeners and viewers from around
the world flooding Jones with supportive phone calls and e-mails.
In addition to playing and announcing his musical selections, Jones
took on-air calls, read e-mails, philosophized, cracked jokes, made
funny faces at the camera, ate the occasional meal and marveled
at the surreal circumstances in which he found himself, remaining
remarkably lucid and coherent for the majority of the broadcast.
He also hosted a steady stream of studio and phone guests, including
Gene Simmons of Kiss, Katie Couric of "The Today Show," Steven Van
Zandt, Willie Nelson and Penn Gillette. As he blew past the existing
record, on Memorial Day morning, Jones set the needle down on Frank
Sinatra's "My Way" and announced, "I am the heavyweight champion
of the world!"

Despite
a pre-event regimen of exercise, exhaustive research on sleep deprivation,
and a carefully planned schedule for caffeine intake, Jones credits
"sheer will and determination" as the driving forces in realizing
his quest.

The day the music ended

Wednesday, May 30, 2001

By RICHARD COWENStaff Writer

PETER MONSEES/THE
RECORD

DJ Glen Jones
showing exhaustion as he nears the end of his 100 hour on-air broadcast
Tuesday.

Glen Jones stumbled away from the microphone and into the record books
as host of the longest continuous radio broadcast Tuesday, four days after
beginning his music marathon at WFMU-FM by spinning the show tune "The
Impossible Dream."

The smooth-talking disc jockey had been reduced to a mumbling mess by
the time the clock struck 1 p.m. in the station's Jersey City studio.
One hundred hours and 40 seconds after he first went on the air, Jones
managed to spin one final song -- Tom Waits' "Innocent When You Dream"
-- before station manager Ken Freedman threw in the towel and led him
away from the console.

He'd lasted a full day longer than the previous on-the-air record holder.

Soon it would be Dreamland for Jones. He raised his arm in triumph as
he was led down the hallway and into a back room, where a mattress was
spread across the floor. Jones belly flopped across it. The long show
was over.

But like a record that keeps on skipping, Jones was back up only moments
later, answering questions from the media in a voice that had been reduced
to a rasp.

"In the end, I didn't know where I was," Jones said. "I
was completely disoriented. I could see people's faces, but I couldn't
remember who they were."

Jones, 39, began his stint behind the microphone Friday at 9 a.m., vowing
to break the world record set by Greg Daines of the United Kingdom of
73 hours, 33 minutes. His stunt drew media attention from as far away
as Japan to the tiny, listener-supported station.

The rules set down by the Guinness Book of World Records were strict.
Jones had to announce every song he played, and no record could be more
than six minutes long. He was allowed a 15-minute break every eight hours.

Two independent observers were with him in the studio at all times,
charting his every move. Freedman said that WFMU (91.1) will now send
the tapes to the Guinness Book of World Records for verification.

Jones, a Kearny native, has been a disc jockey at the station for 15
years. Like all the other WFMU jocks, Jones is unpaid, so he supports
himself with a day job working for Court TV. His weekly radio show, with
sidekick X-Ray Burns, airs every Sunday from noon to 3 p.m.

Jones said his music marathon was a tribute to the free-form radio format
at WFMU that allows disc jockeys to play whatever they want -- no matter
how obscure the artist or the record. It's an "anti-format format"
that is used practically nowhere else in the New York area -- certainly
not among commercial stations.

Over four days, he dug deep into the rock-and-roll vault, playing everything
from Dean Martin to the Sex Pistols. Jersey-bred celebrities such as Steven
Van Zandt of the E Street Band (and "Sopranos" fame) and gubernatorial
candidate Bob Franks phoned in their best wishes. More than 100 fans held
a rally for Jones in the parking lot Sunday.

Even Daines sent an e-mail congratulating Jones on breaking the record
-- and said it was something he would never do again.

With an annual budget of only $550,000, WFMU is destined to remain a
little radio station in a big market. The people who run the station were
proud of Jones' four-day protest against commercial radio -- but were
a little overwhelmed by all the media attention.

"Today, a lot of stations are just commercial outlets," said
Brian Turner, the program director. "But Jones has a deep love of
music. We are all proud of him."

All this, and no commercials.

"I wanted to do something that was in the spirit of free-form radio,"
Jones said. "Radio the way it should be. There was always another
song to play. The music never let me down."

Jones said the darkest hours were right before dawn each day, when he
would hit the wall of sleep. His body would say 'stop' but his mind said
'go.'

He says the hallucinations began Tuesday morning when he played the
song "Crystal Blue Persuasion" by Tommy James and the Shondells.
"I never heard that song sound quite the same way," Jones said.

Jones was hanging on waiting for a call from the president or Bruce
Springsteen, neither of which came. He was fading fast throughout Tuesday
morning, and by the time the gravelly voiced Waits began singing "Innocent
When You Dream," Jones could barely talk, and couldn't stand on his
own.

It was time to pull the plug. "I was a real mess in the end,"
Jones said. "But most times, I was really enjoying the music. In
between major periods of exhaustion."

s he promised,
Glen Jones of WFMU (91.1 FM) has broken the Guinness record for
marathon broadcasting, racking up 100 hours and 40 seconds before leaving
yesterday at 1 p.m.

He closed with Tom Waits' "Innocent When You Dream,"
which is what he intended to do after being on the air since 9 a.m. Friday
 beating the record of 73 hours, 33 minutes (set by Greg Daines
in the U.K. last year) by more than a day.

The record must be certified by Guinness, which should not be a problem,
since station manager Ken Freedman had volunteers recording everything.

Glen Jones

Jones' marathon drew thousands of e-mails  "by far the largest
number we've ever gotten," said Freedman  and he was interviewed
by news shows from Katie Couric to CNN.

In fact, Jones was live with CNN as he was breaking the record at 10:34
a.m. Monday  which he admitted was mildly ironic, since he had just
played a set of songs celebrating the medium of radio.

In the studio, Jones went heavy on the nicotine, but kept the coffee
in reserve whenever possible. He alternately stood up and sat down at
the console, behind which he had about 60 square feet in which to pace.
He was barefoot and wore a comfortable shirt emblazoned with "Crooklyn."

Jones got ongoing encouragement from the volunteers and a steady stream
of gifts from listeners, like a Humphrey Bogart doll with an oversize
head. He read hundreds of e-mails on the air before he finally started
to sound exhausted yesterday. In the final hours he mostly did the minimum
Guinness requires, which is to announce each song. ("Jonesy here.
That was XTC.")

He also said he had never had more fun. Shortly before he broke the record
he played the Carpenters' "We've Only Just Begun," and
when he did break it, he played a live version of Frank Sinatra's
"My Way." He played marching bands, reggae and most everything
else.

"Maybe Jonesy isn't as off-the-wall musically as some 'FMU jocks,"
said Bill Kelly, host of the garage-rock show "Teenage Wasteland."
"But people love him, because he's got so much personality. Look
at this. How can you not love him?"Original Publication Date: 5/30/01

After four sleepless days, disc jockey Glen Jones succeeded
in breaking a world record for the longest continuous radio broadcast.
Jones signed off WFMU-FM in Jersey City, N.J., after being on the air
for 100 hours and 40 seconds. The previous record was 73 hours and 34
minutes, set by a British DJ. Jones played about 1,000 songs during his
shift, ending with Innocent When You Dream by Tom Waits.

I didn't even take coffee in the first 36
hours because I knew I'd need it later

Glen
Jones

American DJ Glen Jones has set a new world record for continuous radio
broadcasting by staying on the air for more than four days.

Jones, 39, broke the previous record
of 73 hours 33 minutes set last September by British DJ Greg Daines of
Chelmsford Hospital Radio.

After passing his target on Monday,
Jones celebrated by playing Frank Sinatra's My Way - and then stayed
on the air until he reached a total of 100 hours and 40 seconds.

His achievement still has to be verified
by Guinness World Records before it comes official.

"Zonked
New Jersey fat boy" on the mix

"A lot of it was just sheer will and
determination," he said after his marathon.

Strict rules

Jones set the record at WFMU, a station
in Jersey City, New Jersey, where he has a weekly show.

Broadcasting every Sunday lunchtime
to the greater New York area with his sidekick X-Ray Burns, he describes
his show as a place where "a zonked pair of New Jersey fat boys mix Led
Zeppelin with Sinatra while ranting about wrestling and the unmentionable".

To break the record, he had to follow
a strict set of rules, monitored by a team of independent observers.

He was allowed a 15-minute break every
eight hours.

He couldn't snatch a few minutes sleep
by putting on unusually long tracks - the rules say no song can be longer
than six minutes.

What
record did I just play?

Quick naps during lengthy contributions
from studio guests were also banned - Jones had to speak at least every
minute during interviews.

Kiss front-man Gene Simmons was one
of the on-air interviewees who kept the deejay going.

The first day was hardest, Jones said,
but he kept going with a catholic music mix, ranging from The Muppets
to the Grateful Dead.

"You can take anything you want, but
I didn't even take coffee in the first 36 hours because I knew I'd need
it later," he said.

May
30, 2001
-- WFMU DJ Glen Jones not only broke the world record for staying on the
air - he absolutely mauled it.

When he signed off a little after 1 p.m. yesterday, Jones had spent 100
hours and 42 seconds on the air - adding to his own record that he set
on Monday (73 hours, 34 minutes).

KISS
guitarist Gene Simmons was Jones' last on-air caller. "The KISS army is
behind you!" Simmons told the intrepid DJ, who (finally) signed off with
"Innocent When You Dream" by Tom Waits.

Jones, 39, was unavailable to speak with reporters after his record-breaking
stunt (he was too exhausted), but we do know that he took a nap at the
Jersey City-based station (91.1 FM) and then was transported, via motorcade,
to the house of station manager Ken Freedman.

During his marathon, which began at 7 a.m. Friday, Jones was allowed one
15-minute bathroom break every eight hours via rules laid down by Guinness
World Records.

Other
rules: He had to announce every track he played and couldn't play songs
longer than six minutes or shorter than two minutes.

GLEN JONES, below, a D.J. on WFMU in Jersey City, is purported to have
set a new record for the longest radio broadcast ever: 100 hours.

It is generally worthless to ask why in this sort of event, for the artist
involved is too exhausted to tell you. So we turn to Mr. Jones's longtime
on-air partner, X. RAY BURNS. Neither Mr. Jones nor Mr. Burns, both of
whom are 39, are paid for their disc jockey work on the listener-supported
station. (Mr. Jones's day job is that of a producer for Court TV; Mr.
Burns works as a real estate appraiser.)

Mr. Burns spoke of his partner's love of radio and noted he was getting
"publicity you couldn't buy" from the stunt. He also confirmed that the
team had been involved before with deeds of derring-do.

"One time he set himself on fire," Mr. Burns said.

Would that have been with a special fireproof gel?

"No, he just poured alcohol on his arm and set it on fire," Mr. Burns
said. "We have a very low budget, and safety is a secondary issue. We
once lowered him from the roof of a Howard Johnson's in Asbury Park. We
re-created the stunt that killed wrestler Owen Hart. We threw him off
the roof in a body harness."

JERSEY CITY, New Jersey -- More than three days straight, without
sleep -- that's how long DJ Glen Jones spent on the air for radio
station WFMU, breaking the world record for the longest continuous
radio broadcast.

Jones performed the feat over Memorial Day weekend, surpassing the
previous world record of 73 hours, 33 minutes on Monday. He was
still going Monday night, according to The Associated Press.

During his time on the air, Jones spun more than 700 tunes and spoke
with celebrities like Gene Simmons of Kiss and Katie Couric of NBC's
"Today." He was allowed a 15-minute break every eight hours, couldn't
play songs longer than six minutes and had to chime in every minute
when a guest was talking.

The record has yet to be officially certified by Guinness World
Records. But Jones was in the mood to celebrate when he broke the
record.

"I am the heavyweight champion of the world," he shouted, then played
a Frank Sinatra rendition of "My Way."

Jersey City, N.J., DJ Glen Jones, 39, sought out to
break a Guinness Record and it looks like he's done it. Going without
sleep, Jones spun more than 700 tunes on WFMU and became host of
the longest continuous radio broadcast on record at 10:34 a.m. Monday.
His airtime of 73 hours, 34 minutes was one minute longer than a
broadcast by British DJ Greg Daines. The station, however, told
the Associated Press that Guinness World Records must still certify
Jones's feat. Among those who popped in on Jones -- via TV remote
-- was "Today" host Katie Couric, during her show on Monday. He
played her a James Taylor favorite and shared his sleepless strategy.
"You can take anything you want, but I didn't even take coffee in
the first 36 hours because I knew I'd need it later," he said. Jones
was allowed a 15-minute break every eight hours, was limited to
playing songs of less than six minutes and had to chime in every
minute when a guest was talking.

Just
before noon on Tuesday (May 29), New Jersey disc jockey Glen Jones
played the Rolling Stones' "Start Me Up." That wouldn't be a big
deal normally, but Jones had started up almost 99 hours earlier
in a bid to break the Guinness world record for DJ Marathon Broadcast
Ñ a record that fell early Monday.

The WFMU-FM disc jockey blew past the old record of 73 hours, 33
minutes, previously held by U.K. DJ Greg Daines, at 10:33 a.m. ET
Monday. He kept going until shortly after 1 p.m. Tuesday, 100 hours
and 42 seconds after he kicked things off Friday with "The Impossible
Dream (The Quest)" from the musical "Man of La Mancha."

Jones, who has hosted the weekly freeform "Glen Jones Radio Programme"
for nearly 15 years, signed off with Tom Waits' "Innocent When You
Dream." In-between, he played an eclectic mix of more than 1,000
tunes ranging from Neil Young's "Long May You Run" to MC Hammer's
"Too Legit to Quit" to James Brown's "Too Funky In Here," making
up his playlist as he went along. When he broke the record, he played
Frank Sinatra's "My Way" and shouted, "I am the heavyweight champion
of the world!"

"I wanted to come up with a complete playlist ahead of time," a
barely coherent Jones said shortly after noon on Monday. "But that
was just too overwhelming, so we just took a bunch of records out
of the library and put them in the studio."

The 39-year-old DJ said he prepared for the stunt by exercising
and reading about the effects of sleep deprivation on the mind and
body. He added that he stayed away from coffee for the first 36
hours of the broadcast but since then has been downing three or
four pots a day.

To break the record, Jones had to follow strict Guinness World Records
guidelines. No song could be shorter than two minutes or longer
than six minutes, and he had to introduce every cut. Show guests
couldn't talk for longer than one minute without Jones chiming in,
and while commercial DJs are allowed breaks for news and commercials,
noncommercial WFMU has neither, so Jones had to keep on going.

By the marathon's end, the normally chatty Jones was barely able
to do more than announce the artists and titles of each song, and
even that had to be accomplished at the prompting of his engineer.

Kiss' Gene Simmons and the "Today Show"'s Katie Couric were among
the show's callers, with Simmons phoning in shortly after noon Tuesday
to say he wanted to be the final guest.

The studio erupted in cheers as the Waits song ended, and Jones
Ñ borrowing a phrase from wrestler Bret "The Hitman" Hart Ñ simply
proclaimed, "The best there is, the best there was and the best
there ever will be."